Heartbreak Homestead (Hearts of the Outback Book 2)

by Susanne Bellamy

  “Afraid of the diminishing properties of cold water?”

  “I’d hate you to think I was—inadequate to the task.”

  His erection nudged the small of her back and she pressed against him.

  Turning into his arms, she tipped her face up to his. “Alex, no father could have done more for his own son than you did for Dan. You’re a very special man. After this morning, I doubt there’s anything you can’t do, if you put your mind to it.”

  Alex knew exactly what he needed to put his mind to. Convincing Lizzy he was a good prospect as her forever husband. But he would have to wait until later, after their visitors had gone.

  He flipped off the mixer tap and pulled her towel off the screen and wrapped it around her. “I should finish making the coffee I promised Dan and Amy.”

  Lizzy stepped onto the bath mat and wrapped her hair in a towel and tossed him one. “Not a good look, disappearing on our guests and both reappearing dripping wet from the shower.”

  Alex laughed and slung the towel low around his hips. “They’re too busy playing with Dan to notice.” He tucked the end of the towel in and Lizzy’s gaze rested on his hips and the line of hair arrowing out of sight at its edge.

  Her lips parted on a sigh.

  “Hold that thought, babe.” He pulled on the clothes he’d discarded while Lizzy combed her hair and dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder.

  On the way to the kitchen, he passed through the lounge. “Coffee won’t be long. Lizzy will be out in a couple of minutes.”

  Amy looked up from a game of Pat-a cake with little Dan. “Great. I really need to talk to her.”

  Dan put his stethoscope aside and stood. “I’ll help.”

  Amy took baby Dan’s hands in hers and looked him in the eye. “Remember, godson of mine, real men make the coffee.”

  Dan paused in the kitchen doorway. “Droll, very droll. Who cooked your favourite Thai meal last night?”

  “The loveliest man who got thanked very nicely afterwards. Several times.” Amy winked and blew Dan a kiss.

  Alex switched the kettle on to boil again and took down four mugs and put them on a tray. “So Dan is okay? No ill effects from a night without milk?”

  “He’s fine. You said the woman gave him water—Sarah Tait, wasn’t it?”

  Alex nodded and added coffee to the pot. “Yes. She arrived at the front of the hut as we were getting into position. She and Granger Tait had an almighty row over Dan.”

  “Do you think she had anything to do with his abduction?” Dan added a carton of long life milk to the tray.

  “The way she was yelling blue murder at Caleb Richards, I doubt it. Wouldn’t like to be in his shoes when he tries to lock her up.”

  “I’ve met Sarah Tait on a couple of occasions and I’m certain she’s not the type. You should see her with the horses. They call her a horse whisperer.”

  The kettle whistled and Alex poured hot water over the ground coffee. The aroma of brewing coffee filled his nostrils and his stomach growled. Handing Dan the tray, he took out the remainder of Lizzy’s last cooking session. “I’ll cut some of Lizzy’s carrot cake and bring it in.”

  The more he thought about Sarah Tait, the more he was convinced she’d yelled the truth as she lay pinned beneath Richards’ knee. Mentally adding a call to the detective to his list of tasks, he grabbed a pile of small plates and carried them and the slices of cake into the lounge.

  Lizzy and Amy sat on the sofa with Dan propped up on a cushion between them while big Dan examined Lizzy’s pupils.

  “And you don’t know how long you were unconscious after the tyres blew and you hit your head?”

  “I’m not sure. It could have been a couple of minutes or thirty. When I realised Dan wasn’t there, I bashed through a bit of scrub calling for him. Stupid, I know, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. And then I found myself heading towards Alex and Pete’s camp.” Lizzy lifted Dan onto her lap. Her arms wrapped around him and she nuzzled his head.

  As big Dan leaned close to examine Lizzy’s head wound, his stethoscope swung close enough for little Dan to grab and the shiny silver head went straight to his mouth. Dan laughed, the baby gurgled, and both women told him how clever he was as Lizzy gently removed the instrument.

  Dan began to grizzle at the loss of the new toy.

  Alex picked up a squishy, bright blue soft train with a face from the basket of toys in the shelving unit. Dan’s favourite toy, it never failed to elicit a smile. Alex sat on the wide arm of the sofa and offered the train to Dan. He kicked his legs and his plump little fingers dug into the soft toy.

  As Alex watched the woman he loved and her child, he pledged that, no matter how long it took, he would help Lizzy forget the fear of yesterday and protect little Dan.

  Dan packed his medical bag and sat in an armchair. “I’d like you to have a couple of days of bed rest, Lizzy.”

  “I feel fine. Well—apart from the headache and a few scratches.”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  Dan’s tone was placatory but Alex knew Lizzy. She would work until she dropped. “I guess you have two choices, babe. Stay in bed and rest, or I’ll find a way to make you.”

  Amy shot a look at Dan and raised an eyebrow as they shared an unspoken communication. Dan nodded and Amy turned to Lizzy. “We have a proposition to put to you. Please hear us out and—just take time to think about it.”

  Lizzy frowned and hugged Dan against her chest. “I don’t think I’m going to like the sound of this.”

  “Please, Lizzy?”

  “I make no promises. What is it?”

  “Dan and Trish and I would like to look after young master Dan here while you and Alex have a proper honeymoon. What do you say?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  A honeymoon. Hers and Alex’s. Like a real couple who were in love and embarking on a new life together. If only it was that simple.

  Guilt and disappointment in herself for deceiving her friends and Aunt Trish sat like a stone in her belly. If ever they were going to come clean about their arrangement, it should be now, with her best friends.

  But the words stuck in her throat. How could she jeopardise Dan’s adoption by revealing her deception?

  Shaking her head, her gaze met a thoughtful, faraway look in Alex’s. She nudged him with her toe. “Did you know about this?”

  “What? No, but I like the idea. A lot.” He grinned at her before looking at Amy and Dan. “It’s very kind of you and Trish but I think we need time with Dan right now. Can we let you know later?”

  Amy sat back, a satisfied smile on her face. “Sure. See, I told you. Dan expected an outright hell, no, but I reckoned you’d like the idea. We realise now is not the ideal time but we wanted you to start thinking about it.”

  Struggling to control her emotions, Lizzy wriggled to the edge of the sofa and stood. “Look, thanks for the offer but I—can’t think about leaving Dan after last night.” Chest tight, she stood with a wriggling armful of baby.

  Dan dropped his toy train and Alex beat her to the floor to pick it up. He handed it to her and cupped her cheek. Softly, he reassured her. “Nobody is going to take Dan away, Lizzy. We just have very good friends who want the best for us. All of us.”

  She nodded and drew a shaky breath. “I know. I’ll be back in a minute. Can you pour the coffee?”

  In the nursery, she changed Dan’s nappy and put him into his cot. He was overdue for a sleep but how much had the abduction affected him? Patting his back, she crooned a lullaby and wondered if it was more to comfort herself than Dan.

  “You’ll be four months old tomorrow, young man. What shall we do to celebrate?”

  Four months? Which meant she had only four months left with Alex. “It’s not enough.” Not when she’d fallen for Alex. A lifetime wouldn’t be enough.

  Dan closed his eyes as his thumb went into his mouth. Was that good or bad? Things that biological mothers of babies seemed to know instinctively she had to look up on th
e internet.

  Was her determination to win custody of Dan in his best interest? Or was she being selfish in her quest?

  “Lizzy?” Amy tiptoed into the nursery. “Is Dan asleep?”

  “Yes. Sorry, I nearly nodded off.”

  “Come out onto the veranda with me.” She carried two mugs of coffee as she led the way to the side veranda and set them on the table.

  “There’s a lot going on in my mind at the moment, Ames.”

  “Relax, I get that this isn’t the time for you to consider leaving Dan and I’m not about to push the honeymoon idea. You’ve had a traumatic, sleepless night and believe me, if Dan hadn’t needed to check out the pair of you, we wouldn’t have dreamed of intruding today.”

  “I’ll be better when I’ve slept but I feel like my emotions are all over the place.”

  “Yeah, it’s like that when you’re in love too.”

  “What? I’m not. I mean—”

  “Hey, it’s okay. I meant that—hmm. You know, suddenly things are beginning to make sense.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You are in love with Alex. I knew it. When you two married so soon after Donna died, I suspected it was because of Danny Boy.”

  “Amy, you can’t tell anyone it’s not real. I’ve got to win custody of him.”

  “You’re not fooling anyone, Lizzy. You’re married. I was there, remember, holding your bouquet. Dan and I were witnesses.”

  “Yes, and in four months, I should have custody of Dan and Alex will go back to his real life.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Lizzy couldn’t control the need to unburden herself. Biting her lip, she hoped Amy wouldn’t think too badly of her. “We made a business deal—six months so I can get Dan. But I feel so bad about deceiving Trish, and you. It’s not real, Ames. It’s—”

  “It’s real in every sense of the word. You love him and I’m damned certain he loves you. And Dan.”

  “I know he cares about Dan.”

  “He loves you too. My God, Lizzy, can’t you see it in his eyes? Believe me, I know what a man in love looks like and Alex could be the poster boy for it.”

  “Amy. Are you out here, love?” Dan strolled around the corner with Alex following. “There you are. I hate to cut into girl talk but we need to leave. A call just came through. Young boy with a probable fractured tibia. I’ve got the co-ordinates and details.”

  “Coming.” Amy stood and came around the table as Lizzy pushed to her feet. After a quick hug, she held Lizzy’s shoulders and whispered, “Think about what I said, please?”

  “I will. Ames, thank you.”

  Alex slung an arm around her shoulders as they walked back to the front steps. “I’ll drive them out to the plane. Why don’t you go to bed and I’ll join you when I get back. There’s nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.”

  “Good idea.” She stood waving until the ute turned a bend in the track.

  Sleep was a very good idea.

  Alex yawned as he hung the keys back on the rack and closed the door quietly behind him. With luck, Lizzy would be asleep and Dan might give them a couple of hours before his next feed.

  And then he and Lizzy were going to talk. But first he had one more task he didn’t want to put off. He sat at the desk and radioed Caleb Richards.

  The detective’s voice was as husky as his. “Granger Tait, Sarah’s brother, has confessed to setting fire to the hayshed and abducting Daniel but he’s adamant he had nothing to do with poisoning your cattle’s water. And his father is screaming blue murder and threatening all sorts of legal action.”

  “Did Granger say why he did it?”

  “In highly colourful language. Both Granger and his father blame your wife for Jeb’s will. It seems Sanderson had some notion of getting his hands on ‘Craeborn’ via his daughter and grandson. When Lizzy won interim custody, Granger took it into his head to wage a fear campaign and scare her off the property. I’ve requested a psychiatric assessment of him.”

  So Lizzy had been right about being the target after all. “He’s not married. How did he think he’d get custody of Dan?”

  “He had applied for joint custody with his sister, Sarah. She’s been working in the Northern Territory and had no idea of his plans. She only returned home yesterday.”

  “So she had nothing to do with Dan’s kidnapping?”

  “No. And I don’t think she’s going to forgive me for the handcuffs any time this century.”

  The detective’s wry sense of humour appealed to Alex. After this was all over, he’d make a point of getting to know him better. “Dan Middleton knows Sarah. He said she’s not the type to commit a crime. Too gentle, at least with the horses.”

  “Hmm, I’ll try to remember that when I release her after lunch.”

  “Why, detective, you sound afraid of her.”

  “Rather say I respect her right to be angry. Has the doctor given Dan and Lizzy the all clear?”

  “Dan’s fine, Lizzy needs a day or two in bed.” Sparked by Caleb’s reference to handcuffs, the many ways of keeping her there buzzed in his brain. Amy’s offer to look after Dan while her friend enjoyed a proper honeymoon deserved serious consideration once the dust had settled.

  “I’m convinced by the evidence and the interviews that Granger Tait is responsible for what he claims and no more. He lost that rodeo buckle when he set fire to the shed and seems more worried about getting that back than the prospect of jail.”

  “So do we have any idea who poisoned the dam?”

  “We’re still following up a possible lead. In the meantime, a word of caution.”

  “By which you mean there’s still someone out there with a grudge against me. Shit. I thought this would all be over with Tait’s arrest.”

  “The stock squad is all over it and we’re working with the Territory boys too. Any chance you could move into town until we’ve found those responsible?”

  “I’ll try to convince Lizzy. After last night, she’ll probably agree. Dan’s safety is uppermost in our minds.”

  “Of course. Let me know where you end up.”

  Alex signed off and sat staring through the window. In the distance, low hills marked the boundary separating ‘Craeborn’ from Tait property. To think Granger Tait hated Lizzy’s family so much he could stoop to kidnapping a baby chilled Alex to the bone. And Donna’s father had smacked his daughter around because she carried Jeb’s child.

  Pulling a notepad and pencil across the desk, Alex drew a timeline of events. He opened Jeb’s reports on the computer screen and checked dates. With rising excitement, he cross-checked Jeb’s scientific data. The first irregularity in the readings coincided with the first of his timeline events.

  Could it be that simple?

  For the second time that morning he picked up the radio and made the connection with the detective.

  “What have you found?”

  “I know who poisoned the water. It’s all in the data.”

  ##

  Lizzy emerged from the bathroom and pulled on a pair of shorts as Alex popped his head around the door.

  Shadows underlined his eyes but he smiled. “Hi, babe.”

  “Hi yourself. Sorry I slept so long.”

  “You needed it. I’ve poured a couple of juices for us and made up Dan’s formula. Come out on the veranda and enjoy the sunset with me, Lizzy.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll get Dan.”

  “He’s out there waiting for us. He kept me company while I got the snacks. We were having a—father and son chat.”

  “Sounds serious.” She bent her head and fumbled with the buttons of her top. If only Alex could really be Dan’s father.

  “Well, I explained that we were going to talk about things that are important to all three of us and how much I’d appreciate his help.”

  “O—kay. How did he answer?”

  “Let’s go and see.”

  Dan lay on the rug chewing the corner of one of his cloth boo
ks. As soon as he saw them, he kicked both feet and rolled onto his stomach.

  Alex lifted Dan into the new swing seat and set it in motion. “Dan’s getting stronger every day. I spoke with Detective Richards while you were asleep. Twice. We think we’ve solved the question of who contaminated the water.”

  “Granger Tait?”

  “His father, Sanderson.” Alex outlined his discussion with the detective and the steps needed to prove their case. He drained his glass and put it on the table. “Caleb is also confident the DCS will no longer consider the Taits’ application to adopt Dan. You can rest easy now.”

  As though all her Christmases had come at once, Lizzy jumped out of her chair and whooped aloud. “Is it really over? Do you mean Dan is ours?”

  Dan laughed and she dropped to her knees in front of him. Taking his hands in hers, she brushed her nose over his. “Did you hear that, Danny Boy? You get to live with us forever now.”

  “It’s not official of course but any application by the Taits is not likely to succeed now.”

  “That’s the best news ever. What did you—and Dan—want to ask? You want later bedtimes?”

  “I prefer earlier. With you. I guess that’s as good a way to tell you—to ask—”

  In the time she’d known Alex, Lizzy had never seen him at a loss for words. She’d never seen him vulnerable although the memory of his introduction to Dan was priceless and one of her favourites. He rubbed a hand across his stubbled chin and met her gaze.

  “Lizzy, about our deal—I want to rip it up. Here, tonight.”

  Lizzy’s stomach took a dive. She gripped the arms of the chair and tried to drag in a breath around the lump in her throat. Alex didn’t want to continue their mock marriage any longer than necessary.

  “Of course. We’ve got what we set out to do. We’ve won.”

  Except she didn’t feel like she’d won. Not when Alex was going to walk out the door and out of their lives. After he’d raced in to rescue Dan she’d thought—she’d hoped against hope he might want to stay.

  But wishes were for princesses in fairy tales, not for orphans like her and Dan.